A Mother's Love
by Fairly Odd New Yorker
Summary: Hallmark's Merlin- Mab and Morgan le Faye battle for Mordred's love, and have a little chat. :P Not good at summaries, please R&R! One-shot.


**(A/N)**- Just a little piece between Mab and Morgan - no romance, but I hope you all like it just the same. ;) Inspired by my conversation with Lane on how Mab must feel about the subject of love.

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- A Mother's Love -

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"More wine, my dear?"

Morgan stared angrily down the dinner table, down at the Queen of the Faeries, who was seated with Morgan's son, Mordred, upon her lap. She was distracting the boy from his meal with tricks, causing little fireworks to display before the boy's eyes. Mordred was overly pleased with her attentions, and showed his appreciation with claps (that of which his mom had taught him to do) and giggles. His appreciation caused Mab's smile to grow even wider, and Morgan couldn't stand it.

"Morgan?" Frik asked, but she ignored him.

"Mordwed!" she called, and her son looked over, "Come and sit by mummy, dear," and Mordred scooted off of Mab's lap and rushed over.

"Mordred," Mab called, in her usually whispery tone, but he heard, and stopped in his tracks. When he looked 'round, a pony was there, saddled and bridled and ready for him. Mordred let out a shriek of laughter, and ran over to clamber up onto the beast.

"Mordwed!!" Morgan called, more earnestly this time, but it was to no avail. He was too busy pulling himself up, and Mab helped, her emerald eyes meeting Morgan's with a look of satisfaction, and Morgan fumed.

She gave up a while, watching the two from the corner of her eye as Mab led the pony to circle the table as Mordred shook the reins constantly as he laughed.

Morgan sipped her wine as they came around her, and watched cooly as the pony went past. Mab had her back turned, and Morgan swiftly took a nut from the table of food, and flicked her wrist, tossing it sharply at the animal's rear. It whinnied in surprise, and made to rear up. Mab stopped it halfway, but to no avail - Mordred had fallen onto the cobblestone floor and instantly burst into tears.

Morgan wasted no time in tending to her son, scooping him up in her arms and cooing, "Aww, hush hush, my dear," she said, seating herself back at the table, her boy in her lap, "Did that mean old pony hurt you?" she asked, glancing at Mab as if to insinuate she was talking about her. Mab's eyes flickered, but she ignored Morgan, and instead looked to Frik.

"You threw something, didn't you?" she accused.

"_Madam_!" he exclaimed, appalled, "I did no such thing!"

"Don't lie to me, Frik," she drawled.

"A flea must've bit 'im," Morgan dismissed, burrowing her nose against Mordred's with a smile.

Mab blinked, looking to Morgan incredulously, "It has no fleas - I should know! _I_ conjured it!"

"Then probably it was a fly or something - who cares?" she asked, shrugging, looking to Mordred, "My baby boy is safe and sound." And he was, for he'd nestled against her chest as he sucked on his thumb.

"Enough of that, Mordwed, or you'll go bucky," she said, taking his thumb out of his mouth, causing him to whine.

"If he wants to suck his thumb, let him," Mab said lightly, making the pony disappear out of midair.

"I'm his mother," Morgan reminded fiercely, glaring at her, and she looked back to her son, "I'll tell him what to do."

Mab let out a scornful laugh, "Sure, that always works ..." she said, and turned on her heel to return to her seat at the other end.

Morgan ignored her, and turned her attention once again to Mordred, who was pulling on a lock of her curly hair.

"He has your eyes," Frik commented, stepping around the chair. At the sight of him, Mordred released the lock, took a great intake of breath, and blew a raspberry at the gnome. It did more damage to his own mother than Frik, for she was covered in sprinkles of spit.

"That was wude, Mordwed!!" she scolded.

Mab, on the other hand, clapped in appreciation, smiling broadly, "Oh, well done, Mordred," she congratulated. Mordred beamed.

Morgan tensed up, almost ready to leap across the table at the Goddess, but Frik held a firm grip on her shoulder, "Let it go, my dear," he said quietly.

"Oh, Mordred," Mab called, in a rather sing-songy voice, and Mordred went to crawl out of his mother's lap. She held him close, and the more he struggled the tighter her grip became, until he cried out in anger. In his haste to escape, he flailed his legs, and his hard boots Mab had given him had hit her hard in the leg, causing her to release him.

"Look what I've got," Mab said, and presented to the child a small wolf pup. She placed the puppy down and it was soon scooped up by the child, who couldn't contain his squeals of excitement.

"You spoil him like that and that's all he'll ever expect from you," Morgan commented, loud enough to reach Mab's ears, "Toys and twicks and animals and all that rubbish."

"What would you prefer I do, Morgan?" Mab asked mockingly, "Shower him with love? That's what you do, and look what it's brought you- nothing but pain," Mab said pitifully with a smile, before turning back to Mordred.

Morgan stared at the back of Mab's head, contemplating her words. Sure she loved her son - but could she help it? He was her son! And she needed to show him love and care - who cares if it brought her pain - it brought Mordred joy. But if Mab continues to hold his interest more, perhaps in the end all it would cause is pain ...

Tears had been brought to Morgan's eyes, and she felt Frik reach around to comfort her, but she smacked him away. She sat there a moment, watching Mab as she caused a crown to appear on his head again. With an angry sigh, she stormed out of the room and went up to her bedroom, and stayed there for the rest of the evening.

**--**

Morgan awoke to find herself nestled in Frik's embrace. She shrugged his sleeping form aside, making sure not to wake him. She watched him sleeping a moment, his blonde hair tousled into his face. She wondered why he never assumed his gnome form anymore, as she brushed his locks from his face. She smiled lightly at him before getting up. Foolish of her to have succumbed to sleep so early in the day - now she'd be up all night.

She left her bedroom to go into Mordred's, and she found him sound asleep under the covers of the bed meant for an adult, more specifically, Mab. She'd never seen Mab use it, but Mordred was too big for his cradle as it was, and there were no extra beds.

She walked over to the bedside, sitting down, and reaching her hand over to run her fingers through his hair. Mordred stirred slightly, smacking his lips as he pulled his legs up close. He wasn't sucking his thumb as usual - perhaps Mab did care in that matter, or maybe he'd just grown out of it.

She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before getting up again, and heading out to see where Mab had gone. She'd probably vanished to her own realm to tend to matters there, Morgan could only hope. She wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to come across the Goddess. Still, her feet led her into the direction of the dining hall, probably because she was feeling a bit hungry.

She opened the door slowly, and, seeing no one around, she walked in, feeling much more relaxed as she strode towards the table of food that had not rotted and had yet to be removed. She hungrily reached for an apple when she heard, "What are you doing up?" and she jumped out of her skin.

Her eyes flew directly to the source, and it was Queen Mab, standing right by the window at the other end of the room. She had just passed her when she came through that door - she must've been there to begin with - if she had not, and had just appeared here now, she would've saw flashes of light.

"I- I was hungry," Morgan said, picking up an apple and taking a a bite out of a large enough portion so it'd be a while before she could speak properly again. She chewed graciously, savoring the flavor, trying not to be intimidated by Mab's presence. It was hard not to.

Mab watched the woman as she ate, making Morgan uncomfortable, but she turned away, pretending not to notice. Once she'd finished several bites, she looked around to see Mab still staring, and she cut her a look.

"Why aren't you asleep?" she asked.

Mab smiled lightly, "Goddesses don't need sleep."

"Ah," Morgan replied, holding one finger up, "That probably accounts for why you're always so gwumpy."

Mab ignored her, turning her attention to the night sky. Morgan took another bite of her apple, watching her. Was Mab testing her or something? No, perhaps she just didn't care for whatever Morgan had to say - no surprise there. She did contradict anything Morgan did ... even about loving her own son! She bristled as she recalled that - Mab had to have loved Mordred, at least a little bit. Who was she then, to complain about Morgan's affections?

"You love my son too, don't you?" she asked as she approached.

Mab didn't seem to hear her at first, but eventually glanced at her from the corner of her eye, "I'm fond of him, but I do not love him."

Morgan laughed, "Oh, sure - you're just constantly hugging him and acting as if he's the only being who exists!"

Mab's eyes flickered dangerously at her, "I do not love him," she said, "Why do you think I give him gifts?" she asked, "It's an easy ticket to win his love and attentions without having to pour my heart out all over him. I see you do it, and it backfires on you."

"I can't help but love him!" Morgan retorted, stepping up to her, a few feet from her, "He's my son!"

"He is _my_ son too, remember," Mab said, "I know I should love him, but love makes you weak, and I can't afford to be weak," she said seriously, full attention on Morgan now.

"Did you ever love?"

Mab took a great intake of breath through her nostrils and turned away. "Once." she said after a long while, "But that is none of your concern."

A strong silence came between them for a while, until Morgan spoke up.

"Is that why you won't let me love him?" she asked, "Because it'll make me weak?"

"No," she said, "You're human, and humans can't help but bring their feelings into account in any situation," she said, "you're his mother, and though I tear him from you from time to time, he'll always love you, regardless."

"Is that how it is with you and Merlin?" Morgan asked, raising a brow.

Mab suddenly was right up in Morgan's face, "Don't ever speak of what you know nothing about!" she shouted raspingly, her face closest to hers than it ever has been, so close she could feel her breath, and Morgan backed down.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

Mab looked a bit surprised. She probably thought Morgan would continue to argue, seeing as Morgan was a bit of a stubborn girl. Mab soon decided Morgan had made a wise move on her part, and she turned away, returning to the window.

The silence between them returned, until Morgan took another bite, a very small one this time, from her apple. She chewed it slowly, her eyes looking around the floor, trying to figure something to say.

"Don't you love Mordwed, even a little bit?" she asked. She was finding it hard to believe that Mab's attentions towards her son didn't display even the tiniest trickle of love.

"No time," Mab replied simply, "Speaking of time, you're wasting mine just by talking about it."

Morgan looked to the floor again, and felt there was nothing left to say except, "Goodnight, Queen Mab," she said, and disappeared off to return to Frik's embrace, leaving Mab in silence.

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**(A/N)**- I know the ending wasn't the best but mehh ... sorry. Couldn't see them in a situation where they might kiss. D:


End file.
